Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali
Mali: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 72.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali stood at 72.8%.
That represents a change of up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali peaked at 78.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 21.4%, in 1988.
That places Mali 210th out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 22.6% | — |
| 1972 | 23.6% | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 23.9% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 24.6% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 24.4% | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 25.0% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 25.7% | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 26.4% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 26.9% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 26.6% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 25.2% | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 24.5% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 24.1% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 23.1% | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 22.5% | -2.8% |
| 1986 | 21.6% | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 21.4% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 21.4% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 24.6% | +15.1% |
| 1990 | 24.7% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 25.2% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 26.7% | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 29.9% | +12.1% |
| 1994 | 32.9% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 35.4% | +7.6% |
| 1996 | 38.7% | +9.1% |
| 1997 | 43.1% | +11.6% |
| 1998 | 46.9% | +8.7% |
| 1999 | 51.0% | +8.8% |
| 2000 | 52.9% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 57.5% | +8.5% |
| 2002 | 61.2% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 63.1% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 66.4% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 69.8% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 72.5% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 74.7% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 76.6% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 77.8% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 78.3% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 78.7% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 75.4% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 70.9% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 71.8% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 70.5% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 71.9% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 74.7% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 70.4% | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 72.8% | +3.5% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 72.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 75% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Mali's 72.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 72% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.8% | 22.6% | 26.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 21.4% | 26.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.4% | 24.7% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.3% | 52.9% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.6% | 70.4% | 78.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 72.8% | 72.8% | 72.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More education data for Mali
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 80,395 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 512,692 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 82,198 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,509 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.97 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.42 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1251 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mali was 72.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 78.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.4% in 1988.
- How does Mali rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Mali ranks 210th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.